ABOUT MERCY CORPS

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.

Now, and for the future.

PROGRAM SUMMARY

Mercy Corps has been operational in Sudan since 2004 and currently leads humanitarian assistance and longer-term development efforts in conflict-affected South Darfur, Central Darfur, South Kordofan, North Kordofan, Kassala, Gedaref, and Khartoum States, supporting host communities, IDPs, returnees and refugees. Mercy Corps’ current areas of programming include food security and livelihoods, WASH, health, nutrition, peace building and protection, resilience, and Market Systems Development.

The EU Youth programme is an European Commission-funded action implemented by Mercy Corps in consortium with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and local partners to support conflict- and displacement-affected young people aged 15–35 in nine target states (of which Mercy Corps will work in four (and potentially 5) states: South Darfur, Kassala, River Nile, and North and South Kordofans). The 42-month program started in January 2026, and will respond to Sudan’s protracted crisis by combining short-term income opportunities with pathways to longer-term economic recovery, while strengthening protection and social cohesion for youth, especially young women, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and youth with disabilities.

Through an integrated approach, the EU Youth programme will deliver labour-intensive, community-based public works and Cash for Work (CfW) activities that rehabilitate priority community assets and improve access to services and markets, alongside market-relevant training, entrepreneurship support, and linkages to employment and financial services (including VSLAs). All activities are designed using conflict- and gender-sensitive approaches and are informed by assessments, with protection mainstreaming and community safety measures embedded where feasible to support safe participation and reduce vulnerabilities. 

POSITION SUMMARY

Project Manager (PM) is responsible for the state-level leadership, coordination, and high-quality implementation of the EU Youth programme in North and South Kordofans. The PM ensures that all activities within the assigned state(s) are delivered on time, on budget, safely, inclusively, and in compliance with EU, Mercy Corps, SAHRO, and consortium standards. This includes direct oversight of local partner implementation, coordination with authorities, and alignment with the programme’s conflict-sensitive, inclusive, and market-driven approach.

The PM leads a multisector team and works closely with Finance, Operations, HR, MEL/PAQ, and consortium partners to implement a coherent state-level workplan, maintain PM@MC artifacts, execute the EU visibility plan, and ensure safeguarding, accountability, and adaptive management across all components. The role requires frequent travel (up to 50%) to field sites to support and monitor implementation, provide coaching, and ensure strong community engagement. The role reports directly to the Deputy Project Director and supervises state-level Project and MEL Officers.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy and Vision

• Translate the programme strategy into state-level workplans that coherently integrate public works/CfW, youth skilling & life skills, entrepreneurship & MSME strengthening, financial inclusion, and protection & peacebuilding activities, ensuring alignment with consortium technical guidance and EU requirements. 
• Lead and/or support state-level inception-to-closeout sequencing, including TA processes with SAHRO authorities and line ministries, assessments, implementation, and exit/handover. Ensure uninterrupted implementation throughout the program’s life cycle.
• Ensure that the state team incorporates conflict sensitive, inclusive, market-oriented, and climate-aware approaches that reflect evidence from labour, market, inclusion, and conflict sensitivity assessments and are consistent with the programme methodology. 
• Contribute state-level insights to programme learning and strategic adaptation, ensuring the approach remains responsive to market shifts, access constraints, and youth priorities.

Program Management

• Lead the day-to-day management and delivery of all programme activities in the assigned state, ensuring workplans, targets, budgets, and quality standards are met across CfW/public works, youth skilling/TVET, entrepreneurship/startup kits, MSME support, VSLAs, job-matching, apprenticeships, and protection/PSS/GBV case management. 
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date PM@MC core documents (workplan, procurement plan, financial projections, supply plans) and ensure alignment with consortium requirements and reporting cycles. 
• Provide direct supervision, coaching, and performance management for state-level staff; hold regular 1:1s, team meetings, and formal performance reviews in line with Mercy Corps standards. 
• Monitor partner and staff fieldwork through frequent site visits; provide technical and managerial support to ensure timely corrective action and continual quality improvement. 
• Maintain a state-level document control and filing system that complies with Mercy Corps retention guidelines and EU audit standards, including full traceability of all FSTP documentation.
• Coordinate closely with Finance, Operations, HR, Supply Chain, and security focal points to ensure all resourcing, logistics, recruitment, and compliance needs are anticipated and met. 
• Ensure that all work adheres to humanitarian principles, Do No Harm, and relevant technical standards (e.g., Sphere).

Research, Learning and Impact (in close coordination with the PAQ unit)

• Coordinate state-level delivery of all assessments (Joint Labour & Market Assessment, NEAT+, inclusion/disability, community needs and conflict sensitivity), ensuring findings directly inform activity design, targeting, and adaptation. 
• Oversee routine MEL activities: CfW participation tracking, labour market monitoring, post-training tracer surveys, MSME follow-ups, financial inclusion monitoring, and protection/PSS outcomes. 
• Ensure accountability to participants systems function effectively at state level, including hotlines, feedback boxes, helpdesks, and community scorecards, and that feedback drives program adaptation. 
• Support state-level contributions to baseline, midline, endline evaluations and quarterly pause and reflect sessions; produce documentation of lessons learned and success stories for donor and consortium reporting.

Representation and Influence

• Serve as the primary state-level representative for Mercy Corps with SAHRO, line ministries, locality authorities, vocational training centers, private sector actors, MFIs, community leaders, and UN/INGO coordination platforms.
• Lead community engagement processes including selection committees, project prioritization for CfW/public works, outreach to vulnerable youth, and inclusive participation of women and persons with disabilities. 
• Ensure coordinated implementation and referrals with the DRC lead, local NGO partners, and other EU-funded programs (CARE-led consortium, etc.). 
• Contribute state-specific updates, stories, and visibility content to programme-wide communications efforts in line with EU visibility guidelines.

Finance & Compliance Management

• Manage the state budget, oversee financial forecasting and burn rate monitoring, and ensure compliance with EU and Mercy Corps financial policies. 
• Oversee all FSTP implementation at state level, including CfW payments, youth stipends, startup kits, MSME seed grants, Group Cash Transfers, and ensure eligibility, transparent selection, documentation, and compliance with EU restrictive measures. 
• Strengthen local partner capacity in financial management, fraud prevention, procurement integrity, and compliance; escalate issues promptly and support timely resolution. 
• Work with Finance and MEL/PAQ to ensure accurate, timely contributions to internal and donor reporting requirements.

Organizational Learning

• Contribute to a culture of continuous learning, evidence-based adaptation, and internal knowledge sharing across teams and consortium partners. 
• As part of Mercy Corps’ commitment to organizational learning, and in recognition that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, all team members are expected to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit both Mercy Corps and themselves. 

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Other duties

• Undertake additional relevant tasks as requested by the supervisor.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

• Proactively ensure that all program activities uphold Mercy Corps’ safeguarding policies, PSEA standards, Code of Conduct, and ethical practices. 
• Promote safe, dignified, and inclusive participation of youth, especially women, persons with disabilities, and high-risk groups. 
• Ensure safeguarding risks are identified, mitigated, and monitored across Cash for Work sites, training venues, entrepreneurship hubs, and partner-implemented activities. 
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY 

Directly supervises the Project and MEL Officers.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Deputy Project Director 

Works Directly With: Other State-level Project Managers, Protection Officer, CfW Coordinator, Livelihoods & Employment Coordinator, MSD Technical Director, Grants Coordinator, MEL Coordinator, Grants & Partnerships Coordinator, Grants & Partnerships Officer, members of the PAQ team.

Accountabilityto Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team membersare expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification &Transferable Skills

The selected candidate is expected to have:

• Bachelor’s degree required in international development, economics, social sciences, management, market systems, protection, or a relevant technical field; Master’s degree preferred. 
• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience managing humanitarian or development programmes, ideally in youth employment, livelihoods, market systems, entrepreneurship, MSME support, or protection sectors. 
• Demonstrated experience leading multisector field teams and managing largescale, multi-location programmes, including performance management, coaching, and staff development. 
• Proven experience working with and managing local NGO partners, including codesign, oversight, compliance, capacity strengthening, and monitoring of partner-implemented activities. 
• Experience managing cash programming, such as Cash for Work, stipends, business grants, or VSLAs, and familiarity with Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) mechanisms. 
• Strong understanding of Market Systems Development (MSD), labour market dynamics, and youth employment pathways, or willingness to learn quickly. 
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate with state-level authorities, including HAC and line ministries, and to navigate permission/TA processes. 
• Technical familiarity with protection mainstreaming, GBV risk mitigation, disability inclusion, and safe programming principles. 
• Strong financial management and compliance skills, including budgeting, forecasting, documentation, procurement processes, and donor reporting. 
• Excellent written and spoken Arabic and English. 
• Proficiency in MS Office applications; ability to manage digital tools for MEL, documentation, and reporting. 
• Willingness to travel frequently (up to 50%) to field sites in insecure or logistically challenging environments. 

Success Factors

The successful Project Manager will demonstrate:

• Strong leadership and teambuilding capacity, able to guide diverse technical and field teams, promote clarity and accountability, and create an environment of mutual respect and high performance. 
• Strategic and adaptive thinker who can translate market, protection, and conflict sensitivity assessments into operational decisions and adjust implementation based on evolving context. 
• Excellent relational and representation skills, able to build trust with communities, youth groups, women’s groups, private sector actors, TVET institutions, MFIs, local NGOs, and state government counterparts. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex operations, including PM@MC systems, workplans, procurement, logistics, staff deployment, partner coordination, and documentation, while maintaining quality and compliance. 
• Strong analytical ability, capable of interpreting labour market trends, youth needs, partner performance, and MEL data to inform adaptive management. 
• High integrity and commitment to accountability, ensuring compliance with EU donor requirements, Mercy Corps policies, antifraud procedures, audit standards, and ethical conduct. 
• Proactive risk management and security awareness, with the ability to make sound judgments that balance programme delivery and staff safety. 
• Commitment to safeguarding, PSEA, gender equality, disability inclusion, and safe, dignified access for youth and vulnerable groups. 
• Ability to multi-task, meet deadlines, problem solve, and work effectively under pressure in fluid humanitarian and development contexts. 
• Motivated by continuous improvement, learning, and reflection; supports a culture where staff dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities and apply new knowledge to improve outcomes.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Al-Obaid, North Kordofan, and it requires up to 50% travel to support state-level programming. This may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. 

Team Efficiency and Effectiveness

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work. We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding& Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).